Magazine for Primagraphics Technology

Category Archives: Computers and Technology

Russia has come under fire from both gamers and the global LGTB community for its decision to restrict sales of Electronic Arts game ‘The Sims 4’ to 18+ gamers.

EA have claimed that this 18+ rating is due to the game’s depiction of same-sex relationships, images of which are deemed by Russian law as being “harmful to children”.

The Sims, in any incarnation, centres on the lives of a group of virtual characters. Players must ensure that the characters are fed, enjoy gainful employment, have somewhere to live (preferably with adequate toilet facilities) and are generally happy in their lives.

There are very few mission-based objectives within The Sims. In fact, it is intended as a virtual depiction (some may say satire) of modern life. To this end, relationships play a part in the game, although characters are neither explicitly heterosexual nor homosexual, these are largely choices made on the part of the player. Relationships can either be brief flirtations, casual flings or monogamous, steady partnerships; it is entirely up to the gamer.

Depictions of sex (called ‘woohoo’) within the game take place under sheets, or in other private places. Players can tell that something is going on, but one would be hard pushed to guess that it was sex without some prior erm…Woohoo experience.

In 2010, Russia passed a law known as 436-FZ, which was created, ostensibly, to protect children from harmful content. The law gives Russian officials the right to censor anything that may elicit “fear, horror, or panic in young children”. It sounds fair enough, except when you try to envision any child, no matter how sensitive, being rendered ‘fearful, horrified or panicky’ at the sight of two, essentially genderless, computer sprites exchanging, essentially nothing, under a duvet.

For the record, Sims cannot take illegal drugs or self harm in any way (with the possible exception of being up all night woohoo-ing and then falling asleep at work and being fired, which I don’t think qualifies), so it is hard to imagine why else the game could have garnered such a severe age restriction.

Oh wait; I forgot to mention that in 2013, Russian authorities amended 436-FZ so that it prohibits the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relationships”. Now there’s an ill-fitting definition if ever there was one.

Many studies/groups (such as America’s TREVOR project) maintain that media-enforced pressure to conform to heterosexual norms can cause depression, anxiety and even suicide among LGBT youths, essentially proving that only showing one type of romantic relationship can actually be harmful to young viewers. On the flipside, as far as I know, there is no evidence to suggest that seeing a same-sex partnership in a video game will cause an otherwise heterosexual gamer to become a homosexual and even if there was, how exactly would they be being harmed by this unlikely metamorphosis?

In the rest of the world, The Sims series has either been rated at 10+ or 13+ (mainly because of all the woohoo, I suppose). Electronic Arts was voted as being one of the best places to work for LGBT individuals by the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) in 2012, it got a score of 100%.

Can’t get over how inexpensive the earpiece is now, a tremendous deal for any top-end product!

Jawbone may now be best known for its UP wireless activity trackers and its Jambox speakers, but before anything else the San Francisco company was a force in the world of Bluetooth headsets. The new ERA is Jawbone’s (mostly) triumphant return to the ears of busy businessmen worldwide.

What Is It?

The Jawbone ERA is a small, powerful Bluetooth headset. It’s only 47mm long, 22mm wide and 13mm deep, and weighs only 6g. It has an internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery good for 4 hours of talk time or music playback, and a high quality noise cancelling microphone that promises clear and accurate voice calls even in loud environments.

For such a small device, the ERA is well-built. There’s no creaking plastic or microphonics when you’re wearing the wireless headset, and even at maximum volume on a bassy music track there’s no undue vibration or distortion from the ERA’s earpiece.

There are five main elements involved in the care and usage of the ERA. The first is the headset’s single visible switch — it’s on the inner face of the ERA, toggling from power off to hpower on — when you can see the blue half of the switch, the Bluetooth headset is turned on. Forwards from the power switch is a small, rubberised, cylindrical mole — this is a skin sensor that knows when you’re wearing the ERA and when you’re speaking, aiding the earpiece’s active noise cancellation.

Hidden away on the back of the Jawbone ERA is the headset’s sole multi-purpose button. The process for using said button is a little arcane — there’s a guide in the box, of course, but remembering just how many short or long presses to tap on the back of the ERA can sometimes be a little difficult.

To adjust the ERA’s audio output volume, for example, you press and hold the multi-purpose button as the headset cycles through various volume levels from minimum to maximum to minimum and so on; to answer or end a call is a single press, to skip audio tracks is a double press — it’s easy enough with practice, but slightly complex to initially learn.

At the end of the protuberance of the Jawbone ERA — the best word to describe the piece of the headset that juts forwards from its resting place in your ear — is its internal microphone. The microphone is hooked up to the rest of the ERA’s electronics package, and does an incredibly good job of clearly transmitting your voice to anyone you’re talking to.

The segment of the ERA that you’ll have the most interaction with, though, is its earpiece. It’s the misshapen lump protruding from the otherwise sleek body of the ERA, with a wide-band audio driver surrounded by a removable silicon eartip. Jawbone includes four different silicon eartip sizes in the ERA’s retail packaging — suitable for a small right ear, medium right ear, medium left, and large right. In practice we found both the small and medium right eartips to offer the best fit

The ERA is not a cheap headset. If you buy it without the charging case, you’re up for a full $149, while adding the charging case tacks another $30 onto the price tag. I genuinely think the charging case is a mandatory accessory — it does a great job of providing extra power to a headset that definitely needs it — but as an overall package the ERA is very expensive.

What Is It Good At?

Just using the Jawbone ERA is an enjoyable exercise straight out of the box. There’s that ever-present secret agent feel to pressing a button on your secret in-ear headset, and after you’ve learned the ropes, taking calls, playing and selecting music tracks is simple.

The active noise cancellation of Jawbone’s microphone — the company calls the entire package NoiseAssassin, now at version 3.0 in the new ERA — is excellent. For making voice calls, or talking to Siri or Google Now, it’s definitely the most capable Bluetooth microphone I’ve used, and is possibly the best headset microphone I’ve used full stop. Especially in noisy environments, the novel noise cancelling built into the body of the ERA works very well.

For the first few days of trialing the headset, everyone I talked to with the ERA noticed the difference in the clarity and quality of voice calls. When you’re talking, the ERA clearly transmits audio, and when you’re not, it doesn’t — simple as that. With the help of the skin sensor, the ERA’s noise cancellation removes one of the most annoying impediments to workday phone conversations in existence. If you and a friend both had Jawbone ERAs and smartphones hooked up to a mobile carrier that supported HD Voice, you’d be able to chat away in the middle of a hurricane.

Beyond transmitting voice and audio, the Jawbone ERA is equally good at playing it back. I haven’t heard previous Jawbone Bluetooth headsets to compare the ERA too, but Jawbone says its earphone driver is much improved, and I’m inclined to believe them — this is a tiny Bluetooth headset, but at maximum power it’s actually capable of outputting a decent amount of audio oopmh. Compare it to a good pair of earbuds or in-ear monitors (I sabotaged the ERA by trying it out against Logitech’s excellent UE 900 IEMs), and it isn’t great, but it beats out Apple’s iPhone earbuds any day.

There isn’t a great deal of bass extension from the Jawbone ERA’s earphone speaker driver, but both treble and mid-range detail is excellent — significantly better than I was expecting. Maximum volume isn’t exactly ear-splittingly loud, but it is good enough to hear the ERA in an otherwise noisy environment. Jawbone’s various audio cues — a sort of aural guide to the ERA’s various features as you select them — are presented in a pleasantly soothing female voice, although you can customise them usng Jawbone’s companion mobile app, which also adds some useful features to the ERA’s repertoire.

Jawbone’s ERA works well as part of the entire family of Jawbone products. The accompanying Jawbone app for both Android and iOS devices (tablets and smartphones alike, although you’re likely only using the ERA with a phone) will be updated in the near future to link various products together, although Jawbone isn’t sharing specifics just yet. You should be able to get updates on your UP24′s daily activity or sleep progress in your ERA headset, for example. It’s a minor software trigger, but one that adds value to the entire Jawbone ecosystem.

If you’ve bought the charging case for the ERA, you’re in for a treat — it’s both a convenient and sturdy place to store the headset when you’re not using it, and a portable recharging station. The ERA headset sits in the case with its rear microUSB port holding it securely, while the dock has its own microUSB port for recharging. There’s a small indicator on the side of the charging case that tells you how much charge it has remaining, and the flip-up connector makes getting the ERA out easy when you need it. It’s the smartest way to store the ERA, and it has a thin leather strap for attaching it to a keyring.

I kept the ERA on my keyring for a fortnight, and the charging case didn’t get more than a couple of scratches — it’s just as sturdy as the ERA itself. It holds a total of 10 hours worth of charge for the headset, it charges quickly, and it’s convenient storage. I did have one instance where the ERA’s silicone earpiece fell off while the headset was stored away in its case, but for the most part the eartips stay on securely.

What Is It Not Good At?

It’s not possible to talk aout Bluetooth headsets without talking about the cringe factor inherent in using one. Don’t get me wrong — the Jawbone ERA is a very cool Bluetooth headset, but at the end of the day, it isstill a Bluetooth headset. If you want one, this is the one to get, but you better really want to wear it.

What that means is that it’s a slightly dorky dongle hanging out of your left or right ear, and even as unobtrusive as it is it is noticeable, and if you wear it out in public you’ll get the odd sideways glance or cautious glare. I made the mistake of wearing the ERA between my morning train and the Gizmodo office, and ordered a coffee at a cafe on the way — only afterwards did I realise how much of an idiot I probably looked like to the barista.

Of course, there is absolutely a time and place where the ERA truly belongs. It’s invaluable on long car trips, where the one-touch button means you can answer a call and have a discussion almost entirely hands-free, without distracting yourself from the road. If you’re hard at work and don’t want too much of a distraction, it’s possible to talk on the phone without disrupting your flow.

Without its charging case, the Jawbone ERA will run out of power within 4 hours at moderate listening volume, if you’re listening to music or constantly making and receiving voice calls. This is not enough for an entire workday of listening to music on the ERA, for example, and if you have a particularly busy string of phone meetings you might quickly run the ERA to the end of its battery life.

It’s possible to eke a day’s power out of the ERA with light usage, but as a general rule, it won’t last a full eight hour stretch — and it’s this that makes the extra cost of the battery charging case worthwhile. You’ll have to shell out a few more dollars, though, and this factors into our overall view of the ERA as a particularly expensive Bluetooth headset.

Should You Buy It?

Jawbone’s ERA is, as Bluetooth headsets go, very fashionable. You can buy the ERA in any one of four colours, and all four will be available in Australia. As it stands, the ERA is being sold exclusively in Apple Stores around the country, so if you want one to complement your Android phone you’ll have to step into the heart of darkness for at least a few minutes.

The ERA is a great headset, there’s no denying that. It sounds great, has the added features offered by Jawbone’s bespoke app, and it’s both attractive and versatile. All this brilliance does come at a price, though. The high asking price does restrict the appeal of the Jawbone ERA significantly; it’s likely to only appear on the ears of well-heeled businessmen and ultra-fashionable advertising and marketing and PR types.

If you want the best Bluetooth headset at any price, our money goes towards the Jawbone ERA. Before you buy it, though, I’d suggest you give careful consideration to its utility and how often you’ll be using it — an alternative might be more appropriate. Anyone deciding that the $179 ERA is right for them won’t be disappointed with how it performs. It’s on sale around Australia from the end of this month.

This short article is posted with the faithful consent of headset.co.uk, that is the original website. please get permission from that site before reposting this piece of writing.

The new NuForce Primo 8 in-ears are supposed to be awfully good. The Audiophiliac tries them on.

NuForce is primarily known as a high-end electronics manufacturer that also makes outstandingaffordable products. I’ve been a fan for years, and while they’ve offered headphones in the past, the new Primo 8 in-ears aim higher. I liked them from the get-go, so I used the Primo 8 for a few weeks as my everyday, walking-around headphones. The more I listened, the more I liked them. That’s really saying something because when I’m not reviewing an in-ear headphone I use my Jerry Harvey JH13($1,099) custom-molded-to-my-ears ‘phones. Hey, I’m a headphone reviewer and a hard-core audiophile, so I use the best stuff.

The Primo 8’s rated 38 ohm impedance and high sensitivity make it easier to drive than most in-ears, so it can play pretty loudly from your phone. I found the Primo 8’s isolation from noise on the New York subway better than I’ve found in most universal-fit in-ear headphones. NuForce claims it has a proprietary cable and crossover network for the Primo 8’s four balanced armature drivers in each earpiece. The cables are user-replaceable, so when they break, and all headphones cables will eventually fail, you can just buy a new cable and be on your way. The Primo 8 comes with a huge assortment of ear tips, so getting a good, tight seal should be easy.

The Primo 8’s sound is neutral and clear — there’s no boosted bass or exaggerated treble; it just sounds right. The clarity is unforced, and that’s a rare commodity nowadays. Take the Cardas EM8513 in-ears ($425) — they have more bass and overall detail, but switching to the Primo 8, the sound is far more natural. It’s also more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. The Sennheiser IE-800 in-ear headphones are more transparent and open sounding than the Primo 8 or EM8513, but the IE-800 sells for $1,000! Again, the IE-800 succeeds by being even-tempered in its sound; nothing jumps out or annoys — the balance is spot on. Even so, the Primo 8 is more comfortable, and until you compare it with headphones that sell for double the price, the sound is very respectable. The Primo 8 is a true audiophile headphone, and while it’s expensive, you’d have to spend a lot more to get something better.

The design firm behind Ray Ban and Oakley eyewear has teamed up with Google in order to make their upcoming ‘Google Glass’ product look as fashionable as possible.

Italian eyewear designers Luxottica, the firm that owns popular brands Ray Ban and Oakley, are looking to create a stylish new collection that combines “high end technology with avant garde design”. They hope this will place them – and new partners Google – firmly at the top of the anticipated “smart eyewear market”.

Luxottica Chief Executive Andrea Guerra says that Google Glass has the potential to “give birth to a new generation of revolutionary devices”.

Google Glass, first announced in 2011, is an augmented reality (AR) headset device that superficially resembles a pair of eyeglasses (although prescriptions will be available as well). The lens includes a small screen above the right eye that allows the user access to applications, the Internet and other functions. It can be operated via voice commands, or by using the small touchpad on the side of the device.

Glass is presently only available via application to Google’s ‘Explorer Program’, an initiative which the project’s website describes as being “for people who want to get involved early and help shape the future of Glass”. At present, it is only available to US residents and it costs $1,500 (roughly £900) to partake. To date, Google has sold more than 10,000 units to these ‘Explorers’.

Last week, the search engine giants unveiled a new version of their Android operating system, specifically made for Glass.

Google Glass’ ability to take photographs and record video has given rise to concerns about privacy. Copyright protection issues were also raised after one Glass user was ordered to leave a cinema.

Critics have also attacked the high pricing and the potential dangers caused by distraction whilst driving or walking down the street. After motorist Cecelia Abadie was issued a ticket for driving, Google began lobbying against proposed anti-Glass legislation, which would make it illegal to use the device whilst driving.

However, Guerra and her colleagues obviously have high hopes for Google Glass. “We believe that a strategic partnership with a leading player like Google is the ideal platform for developing a new way forward in our industry and answering the evolving needs of consumers on a global scale,” She said.

No pricing information for the new glasses has been disclosed at the time of writing.

Andy Rubin, who (perhaps ironically) oversaw the development of the Android operating system, is in charge of the project. He has stated that Google has a “10-year vision” for its robotics interests.

“We’re building hardware, we’re building software. We’re building systems; so one team will be able to understand the whole stack”.

However, despite rumours to the contrary, Google has explicitly stated that it does not plan to create any kind of robot for consumer purchase, leading some to speculate that the resulting Google product will be used to handle deliveries, thus going head-to-head with Amazon’s proposed Prime Air Project (which would use unmanned drones to deliver goods to customers by air).

The company itself has remained cagey regarding details. The official word so far is that “Any description of what Andy and his team might actually create are speculations of the author and the people he interviewed”

That’s what we get for asking nicely.

The project will operate between offices in Palo Alto, California and Japan.

The companies taken over by Google specialize in an esoteric mixture of robotics-based sciences. For example, Japanese acquisition ‘Schaft’, taken over earlier this year, specialize in the creation and operation of humanoid robots, while American company ‘Holomni’ work mainly with caster wheel modules that can accelerate a vehicle’s motion in any direction.

At this point in time, despite lots of media interest, just what Google plan to do in the field of robotics is anybody’s guess, however it should be noted that the science of robotics has come along in great leaps over the past several decades. Perhaps it is time for a Google Android in every home?

During a recent interview with the New York Times, Mr. Rubin described robotics as “A green field” and it will certainly be interesting to see what grows from this.

The Xbox Kinect is a great invention. I’ve always wanted to take gaming matters into my own hands, like some sort of deranged geek vigilante.

“If I didn’t have to rely on these buttons so damn much” I frequently grumble, “I’d grab that monster and kick it in myself!”

Irrespective of what the version you’re playing is, this gargantuan pie eater will be there, barring your entrance into a new location until you havesolved some mystery or found him something. If some fat fool did that here in the real world, your average gamer would simply not stand for it. We’re not that violent as a society, but we’re busy, y’know?

Maybe that’s how Team Rocket and that lot get started? I can’t say I blame anybody in the world of Pokemon for turning evil if their reasons were frustration at constant road blockage, except the cycle lanes, because they kind of make sense. They are cat lovers after all and cat lovers can’t be bad people, can they?

Well, on the Kinect, you use your body instead of a controller, whatever you do, the character on the screen will do. When you throw a punch on Kinect, you’ll be using you’re own arm, when you run from danger, it’ll be as fast as your own legs can carry you. Now, the Xbox 360 with kinect bundle is putting all of these great things in one place, making it easier than ever to get playing the greatest gaming innovation since Sonic 2 allowed you to push down and ‘B’ in order to get up hills without running all the way back where you came from.

So, with this new Xbox 360 with kinect bundle, you’re looking at the future of gaming technology. At last you can get stuck in like you’ve always wanted to. The day is finally here where you can play a game without resorting to controllers and other gizmos. Yep, the future is here and its Kinect-shaped…I know what you geeks are thinking, because I’m thinking it too, we’re one step closer to the invention of the Holodeck…Yay!

Sport video games are the final fan’s revenge. You think the referee threw the match? Put your money where your mouth is, sport games fan. Naturally, if you think Mike Tyson was overvalued, it does not necessarily follow you’d be the person to tell him so. But perhaps Mohammed Ali or George Foreman could? Thus, sport games are born.

One of those oldest gaming genres, sport games have an everlasting application as timeless as sport itself. You simply can’t go and play for England in the next world cup on a whim, no, that kind of thing takes time, and plane tickets, and days off work, and years in counseling and may even end in any confused divorce. sport games are also brilliant for proving your points during pub arguments. Continue reading »

In the era of touch-screens, styluses and those weird little Nokia plectrum dealies (what is up with those exactly?) we have to ask questions about the future of the humble mouse. Is he now considered vermin? Do we cast him aside, banishing him to the world of grammar phones, 8-track tapes and pet rocks?

The other night, I watched Star Trek IV (yeah, the one with the whales) and apart from the fact that it had aged considerably better than the vast majority of mid 80’s movies, I noticed one thing in particular. Mr. Scott, when faced with a 20th Century computer, had no idea what a mouse was. At first, he considers it to be some sort of audio device and talks into it. Have we always considered the mouse a means to an end? A necessary device that will be outmoded by progress? Considering this, I thought about more science fiction (increasingly where we draw our designs for contemporary technology from) and realized that appearances by any sort of hand-held computer interfaces were limited almost exclusively to communications devices and those wrist-things (even then they talked into them more than they pushed buttons) So, are the little mouse’s days numbered? Continue reading »

The aim of this site is to keep you updated on the latest releases, innovations and general news from the black-and-green neon world of the Xbox.

Here at best xbox game, we love the damn things. Can’t get enough of them, in fact. But the console itself is nothing without the rocket fuel that takes your imagination into the stratosphere with each new adventure. By which, of course, we mean the games.

Originally conceived by science fiction writer Murray Leinster and utilized in his 1945 novella ‘First Contact’, the universal translator is a device that translates any language into a language known to the device’s user.

Most people reading this article will be infinitely more familiar with the universal translator as featured in ‘Star Trek’ and its various incarnations. Star Trek’s version of the translator is actually an extremely effective plot device, allowing aliens from anywhere in the universe to speak perfect English, even if they have never met a Human being a day in their lives (and thus allowing the writers of ‘Star Trek’ the freedom to not have to explain why each alien race speaks English so well in every other episode). In reality, alien linguistics would likely be so alien that they could take generations to decipher and even prove to be impossible for Human vocal chords to mimic. Continue reading »

“Well, with a little trepidation I’ve finally done it” the update read “I’ve bought my own detached house. It has all appliances I could need and a beautiful thatched roof”

Not much older than me. I didn’t know he’d had that much success, however. I was pleased for him. Bob and I used to take college classes together, after which he took a job. We had fun. After a while, he moved on and we parted ways, eventually randomly meeting a few years later on a train. At that time we were both writing. I was about to say ‘well done’ when I saw the end of his post. Dork. Continue reading »

Essentially, an android is a Human-like robot designed to mimic the appearance, mannerisms and body language of a flesh and blood person. However, even that definition is a flimsy one, as science fiction writers have come up with numerous weird and wonderful ways to create many new types of androids (at least on the page).

Sometimes an android is built by an alien race and thus resembles its creators. Sometimes an android is mostly robotic, but has some recognizably Human traits and sometimes an android is a bioorganic machine that is ‘grown’ rather than built (making it very similar to the legendary homunculus creatures of ancient myth, or even the Golem of Jewish folklore). Continue reading »

The plasma TV is fast turning into one of those ‘every home should have one’ things. These days, almost every friend I visit has some variation on the LCD television against their wall or tucked in the corner of the living room somewhere.

The advantages of plasma television are numerous, aside from improved picture, which is a given, plasma TV is also easier to attach modern peripherals to and is entirely digital of course. It even takes up far less space in the room than the bulkier models. It is utterly modern, and it looks as swish as swish can look. Continue reading »

When I was young and inexperienced about the ways of the world, my Mum used to buy me those electric toothbrushes that you see on TV.

Those things don’t actually have a very long shelf life, but they do work a treat (it was 27 years before I needed my first filling). Therefore, whenever an old one bit the dust, my Mum would somehow stump up the money and replace it. Good as gold.

One of the many disillusions I’ve endured since leaving home about six years ago, (first for Uni and then for the big, scary real world) is that you have to pay for your own stuff. Like, all the time. For example, the other day our washing machine broke and it cost the best part of £40 to repair it (amazingly, all that palaver was just because the button had come off of my girlfriend’s trousers and gotten caught somewhere in the mechanism). The week after that, our food bill spiralled upwards to almost twice its previous amount with no warning from our local recession-maligned supermarket. As a matter of necessity, my much-loved electric toothbrush was forced out of my life. Continue reading »

Update – So most of the rumours and speculation is right, apple have announced the latest version of their iphone, the iphone 5s. With fingerprint sensor (Touch ID), an improved camera and a quicker A7 microchip, with an unveiling of iOS 7 arriving later on in the month, have apple given us a radical new phone or have they just restructured the iphone 5?

Apple® today announced iPhone® 5s, the most forward-thinking iPhone yet, featuring an all-new A7 chip, making iPhone 5s the world’s first smartphone with 64-bit desktop-class architecture for blazing fast performance in the palm of your hand. iPhone 5s redefines the best smartphone experience in the world with amazing new features all packed into a remarkable thin and light design, including an all-new 8 megapixel iSight® camera with True Tone flash and introducing Touch ID™, an innovative way to simply and securely unlock your phone with just the touch of a finger. iPhone 5s comes with iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone, engineered for 64-bit technology and featuring hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop®, enhanced Photos, Safari®, Siri® and iTunes Radio℠.Continue reading »